1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system in which information representing audio contents such as tunes is downloaded into a mobile telephone set, or is offered thereto on a streaming basis for a demo (a trial hearing) of the audio contents. In addition, this invention relates to a system server for an audio-contents demo system. Furthermore, this invention relates to a mobile telephone device usable in an audio-contents demo system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese patent application publication number 11-164058 discloses a portable music selection/viewing system designed to offer a music software selected by a user while utilizing a mobile phone. In the system of Japanese application 11-164058, a distribution center having a server function receives provision of a music software from a record production company. A portable music selection/viewing equipment is connected through a public circuit (a public line network) to the distribution center. The equipment has a main body with a button input portion, a display provided on a main body, and a receiver for music. The equipment requests the music software, which is selected by the user, of the distribution center. The equipment receives the music software from the distribution center. In the equipment, a signal of the sounds of the received music software is outputted to the receiver, and a signal of the words or the like is outputted to the display.
There is a telecommunications service (for example, xe2x80x9cixe2x80x9d mode service provided by NTT DoCoMo) for connecting mobile telephone devices to the Internet. In a known system using the telephone Internet connection service, a music distribution center has a first server and a second server. The first server is designed for communications via the Internet while the second server is for communications via a public telephone network. The first server stores data representing telephone numbers which correspond to the respective tunes. The second server is assigned the telephone numbers corresponding to the respective tunes. The second server stores information pieces representing the tunes respectively. The second server stores data representing the correspondence between the telephone numbers and the tunes.
A sequence of steps of operation of the above-mentioned known system is as follows. A mobile telephone device sends a signal of a desired tune to the first server in the music distribution center via the Internet, and requests a telephone number corresponding to the desired tune. The first server returns a signal of the desired-tune-corresponding telephone number to the mobile telephone device via the Internet. The mobile telephone device indicates the signal of the desired-tune-corresponding telephone number on its display. Thus, a user knows the telephone number corresponding to the desired tune. Then, the mobile telephone device is disconnected from the Internet, and is connected with the public telephone network to call the communication opposite party (the second server) having the desired-tune-corresponding telephone number. The second server responds to the call related to the desired-tune-corresponding telephone number, and returns the information piece of the desired tune to the mobile telephone device via the public telephone network. The information piece of the desired tune is downloaded into the mobile telephone device, or is offered thereto on a streaming basis.
The information pieces of the respective tunes which are stored in the second server are of a non-compressed digital-data file format such as a WAV format (a waveform format). When receiving a call from a mobile telephone device via the public telephone network, the second server converts an information piece of a desired tune into an analog signal. The second server returns the analog signal of the desired tune to the mobile telephone device via the public telephone network.
The above-mentioned known system has the following problem. To get an information piece representing a desired tune, the user is required to operate the mobile telephone device through a troublesome sequence of steps. Specifically, the mobile telephone device is operated to access the first server via the Internet to find out the telephone number corresponding to the desired tune. Thereafter, the mobile telephone device is operated to access the second server in response to the telephone number via the public telephone network to get the information piece of the desired tune.
It is a first object of this invention to provide an improved audio-contents demo system.
It is a second object of this invention to provide an improved system server for an audio-contents demo system.
It is a third object of this invention to provide an improved mobile telephone device usable in an audio-contents demo system.
A first aspect of this invention provides an audio-contents demo system comprising a WWW server storing information representing audio contents; a system server connectable with the WWW server via the Internet; a mobile telephone device connectable with the system server via either a telephone-Internet connection service or a public telephone network; means provided in the mobile telephone device for sending a signal of a demo-request toward the system server via the telephone-Internet connection service; means provided in the system server and responsive to the demo-request signal sent from the mobile telephone device for accessing the WWW server and taking out a piece of the audio-contents information from the WWW server via the Internet, the audio-contents information piece corresponding to the demo-request signal sent from the mobile telephone device; and means provided in the system server for sending the audio-contents information piece toward the mobile telephone device via the public telephone network.
A second aspect of this invention provides a system server comprising first means for providing connection with a WWW server via the Internet, the WWW server storing information representing audio contents; second means for providing connection with a mobile telephone device via either a telephone-Internet connection service or a public telephone network; third means for receiving a signal of a demo-request from the mobile telephone device via the telephone-Internet connection service; fourth means responsive to the demo-request signal received by the third means for accessing the WWW server and taking out a piece of the audio-contents information from the WWW server via the Internet, the audio-contents information piece corresponding to the demo-request signal received by the third means; and fifth means for sending the audio-contents information piece toward the mobile telephone device via the public telephone network.
A third aspect of this invention is based on the second aspect thereof, and provides a system server wherein the fifth means comprises 1) means for expanding the audio-contents information piece into an expanding-resultant signal, and 2) means for sending the expanding-resultant signal toward the mobile telephone device via the public telephone network.
A fourth aspect of this invention provides a system server comprising first means for providing connection with a WWW server via the Internet, the WWW server storing compressed information representing audio contents; second means for providing connection with a mobile telephone device via either a telephone-Internet connection service or a public telephone network; third means for receiving a signal of a demo-request from the mobile telephone device via the telephone-Internet connection service; fourth means responsive to the demo-request signal received by the third means for accessing the WWW server and taking out a piece of the audio-contents compressed information from the WWW server via the Internet, the audio-contents compressed information piece corresponding to the demo-request signal received by the third means; fifth means for deciding whether or not the mobile telephone device has an information expanding function on the basis of the demo-request signal received by the third means; sixth means for, in cases where the fifth means decides that the mobile telephone device has not the information expanding function, expanding the audio-contents compressed information piece into an expanding-resultant signal; seventh means for sending the expanding-resultant signal toward the mobile telephone device via the public telephone network; and eighth means for, in cases where the fifth means decides that the mobile telephone device has the information expanding function, sending the audio-contents compressed information piece toward the mobile telephone device via the telephone-Internet connection service.
A fifth aspect of this invention provides a mobile telephone device in an audio-contents demo system comprising a WWW server storing information representing audio contents and a system server connectable with the WWW server via the Internet. The mobile telephone device comprises first means for providing connection with the system server via either a telephone-Internet connection service or a public telephone network; second means for sending a signal of a demo-request toward the system server via the telephone-Internet connection service; third means for receiving a signal of audio contents from the system server via the public telephone network, the audio-contents signal being responsive to the demo-request signal; and fourth means for playing back the audio contents represented by the signal received by the third means.
A sixth aspect of this invention provides an audio-contents demo system comprising a WWW server storing information representing audio contents; a system server connectable with the WWW server via the Internet; a mobile telephone device connectable with the system server via either a telephone-Internet connection service or a public telephone network; means provided in the mobile telephone device for sending a signal of a demo-request and an ID signal toward the system server via the telephone-Internet connection service, the ID signal being assigned to the mobile telephone device; means provided in the system server for storing registered ID signals; means provided in the system server for deciding whether or not the ID signal sent from the mobile telephone device is equal to one of the registered ID signals; means provided in the system server and responsive to the demo-request signal sent from the mobile telephone device for, only in cases where the ID signal sent from the mobile telephone device is equal to one of the registered ID signals, accessing the WWW server and taking out a piece of the audio-contents information from the WWW server via the Internet, the audio-contents information piece corresponding to the demo-request signal sent from the mobile telephone device; means provided in the system server for filtering the audio-contents information piece into a filtering-resultant signal according to a filtering characteristic determined by the ID signal sent from the mobile telephone device; and means provided in the system server for sending the filtering-resultant signal toward the mobile telephone device via the public telephone network.
A seventh aspect of this invention is based on the sixth aspect thereof, and provides an audio-contents demo system further comprising means provided in the system server for performing authentication with respect to the mobile telephone device in response to the ID signal sent therefrom.
An eighth aspect of this invention provides a system server comprising first means for providing connection with a WWW server via the Internet, the WWW server storing information representing audio contents; second means for providing connection with a mobile telephone device via either a telephone-Internet connection service or a public telephone network; third means for receiving a signal of a demo-request and an ID signal from the mobile telephone device via the telephone-Internet connection service, the ID signal being assigned to the mobile telephone device; fourth means for storing registered ID signals; fifth means for deciding whether or not the ID signal received by the third means is equal to one of the registered ID signals stored by the fourth means; sixth means responsive to the demo-request signal received by the third means for, only in cases where the fifth means decides that the ID signal received by the third means is equal to one of the registered ID signals stored by the fourth means, accessing the WWW server and taking out a piece of the audio-contents information from the WWW server via the Internet, the audio-contents information piece corresponding to the demo-request signal received by the third means; and seventh means for sending the audio-contents information piece toward the mobile telephone device via the public telephone network.
A ninth aspect of this invention is based on the eighth aspect thereof, and provides a system server wherein the seventh means comprises 1) means for expanding the audio-contents information piece into an expanding-resultant signal, 2) means for filtering the expanding-resultant signal into a filtering-resultant signal according to a filtering characteristic determined by the ID signal received by the third means, and 3) means for sending the filtering-resultant signal toward the mobile telephone device via the public telephone network.
A tenth aspect of this invention provides a system server comprising first means for providing connection with a WWW server via the Internet, the WWW server storing compressed information representing audio contents; second means for providing connection with a mobile telephone device via either a telephone-Internet connection service or a public telephone network; third means for receiving a signal of a demo-request and an ID signal from the mobile telephone device via the telephone-Internet connection service, the ID signal being assigned to the mobile telephone device; fourth means for storing registered ID signals; fifth means for deciding whether or not the ID signal received by the third means is equal to one of the registered ID signals stored by the fourth means; sixth means responsive to the demo-request signal received by the third means for, only in cases where the fifth means decides that the ID signal received by the third means is equal to one of the registered ID signals stored by the fourth means, accessing the WWW server and taking out a piece of the audio-contents compressed information from the WWW server via the Internet, the audio-contents compressed information piece corresponding to the demo-request signal received by the third means; seventh means for deciding whether or not the mobile telephone device has an information expanding function on the basis of the ID signal received by the third means; eighth means for, in cases where the seventh means decides that the mobile telephone device has not the information expanding function, expanding the audio-contents compressed information piece into an expanding-resultant signal; ninth means for sending the expanding-resultant signal toward the mobile telephone device via the public telephone network; and tenth means for, in cases where the seventh means decides that the mobile telephone device has the information expanding function, sending the audio-contents compressed information piece toward the mobile telephone device via the telephone-Internet connection service.
An eleventh aspect of this invention provides an audio-contents demo system comprising a WWW server storing information representing audio contents; a system server connectable with the WWW server via the Internet; a mobile telephone device connectable with the system server via either a telephone-Internet connection service or a public telephone network; means provided in the mobile telephone device for sending a signal of a demo-request and an ID signal toward the system server via the telephone-Internet connection service, the ID signal being assigned to the mobile telephone device; means provided in the system server for storing registered ID signals; means provided in the system server for deciding whether or not the ID signal sent from the mobile telephone device is equal to one of the registered ID signals; means provided in the system server and responsive to the demo-request signal sent from the mobile telephone device for, only in cases where the ID signal sent from the mobile telephone device is equal to one of the registered ID signals, accessing the WWW server and taking out a piece of the audio-contents information from the WWW server via the Internet, the audio-contents information piece corresponding to the demo-request signal sent from the mobile telephone device; and means provided in the system server for sending a signal of a telephone number toward the mobile telephone device via the public telephone network, the telephone number corresponding to the audio-contents information piece.
A twelfth aspect of this invention provides a system server comprising first means for providing connection with a WWW server via the Internet, the WWW server storing compressed information representing audio contents; second means for providing connection with a mobile telephone device via either a telephone-Internet connection service or a public telephone network; third means for receiving a signal of a demo-request and an ID signal from the mobile telephone device via the telephone-Internet connection service, the ID signal being assigned to the mobile telephone device; fourth means for storing registered ID signals; fifth means for deciding whether or not the ID signal received by the third means is equal to one of the registered ID signals stored by the fourth means; sixth means responsive to the demo-request signal received by the third means for, only in cases where the fifth means decides that the ID signal received by the third means is equal to one of the registered ID signals stored by the fourth means, accessing the WWW server and taking out a piece of the audio-contents compressed information from the WWW server via the Internet, the audio-contents compressed information piece corresponding to the demo-request signal received by the third means; seventh means for deciding whether or not the mobile telephone device has an information expanding function on the basis of the ID signal received by the third means; eighth means for, in cases where the seventh means decides that the mobile telephone device has not the information expanding function, sending a signal of a telephone number toward the mobile telephone device via the public telephone network, the telephone number corresponding to the audio-contents compressed information piece; and ninth means for, in cases where the seventh means decides that the mobile telephone device has the information expanding function, sending the audio-contents compressed information piece toward the mobile telephone device via the telephone-Internet connection service.